Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search tool is sent to the outside provider that operates that feature. The provider processes the request and supplies its response. Columbia County Criminal History does not retain or record those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email sent to the site may be kept as long as needed to prepare and deliver a reply. Its contents are not disclosed beyond the organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
Ordinary server and traffic logs can collect technical facts when a visitor opens a page, including:
- The date and time of each page request
- The visitor's browser type and version
- The device's operating system and general type
- The pages viewed and approximate time spent on them
- The referring website, when that information is available
- The Internet Protocol address used by the device
Cookies and Analytics
Small files known as cookies may be stored on a visitor's device. Together with analytics services, they help measure traffic, popular content, navigation patterns, and points where visits end. A browser can reject or remove cookies through its settings, although disabling them may change how some features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnose errors and other technical problems
- Route a submitted query to the appropriate outside search service
- Operate the website and maintain reasonable page performance
- Understand which resources visitors use and where improvements may help
- Deliver advertising that may reflect a visitor's interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Columbia County Criminal History does not keep, combine, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It provides general directions to official custodians in Columbia County, Washington, including the Sheriff, Superior Court Clerk, District Court, Washington State Patrol and its Washington Access to Criminal History service, and the Washington Sex Offender Public Registry. The site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor information is not compiled into a consumer report or a record about another person.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies supply the search boxes available on the site. A query submitted through one of those tools is subject to that provider's privacy policy rather than this policy. Each provider controls its own retention, processing, and disclosure choices. Visitors should review those terms before entering a search.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Columbia County departments, Washington court portals, state agencies, legal-assistance resources, or outside search tools. Once a visitor follows an external link, the destination's privacy practices apply. Its policy should be reviewed before personal information is supplied.
Advertising providers may use their own technology to observe activity across more than one website and select targeted ads. Such tracking occurs through the provider's systems, not systems controlled by Columbia County Criminal History.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal information is not sold. It may be available in limited form to:
- Analytics vendors that measure use and technical performance
- Advertising networks that deliver ads on the website
- Outside search providers that process a visitor's query
- A court, law-enforcement agency, or other government body acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards are applied to information under the site's control. No online transmission, server, or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure. The site works to reduce risk but cannot promise that unauthorized access or a security incident will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal data from a person younger than 18. If information from a minor is identified, a request may be made for its prompt removal.
Your Data Rights
Washington's Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW, governs access to records held by public agencies. The Washington Criminal Records Privacy Act, chapter 10.97 RCW, governs the collection, dissemination, and correction of criminal-history information maintained by criminal-justice agencies. These laws do not turn this privately operated website into a public agency or criminal-history repository. Other applicable privacy or consumer-protection law may grant additional rights. Visitors may ask to:
- Receive a copy of personal information the site holds about them
- Correct personal information that is inaccurate
- Delete personal information where the request applies
- Opt out of eligible forms of data processing
Updates to This Policy
This privacy policy may be revised as practices or legal requirements change. A replacement version will be posted here, and its effective date will be updated so visitors can identify the current policy.
Effective date: August 10, 2026